Issues in Public and Nonprofit Administration

Archive for February, 2017

I am Charter Helton. I am currently a junior at Tennessee Tech University. I am 21 years old and I live in Winchester, Tn. I am taking Introduction to Nonprofit Organizations because I have an interest in how so many nonprofits are being successful. One thing that we have talked about is the history of nonprofits. This includes where nonprofits started and how far they have come. This includes the growth in popularity. Another thing that we have looked at is the importance of a mission statement in the nonprofit world. A mission statement is one of the most important things that a nonprofit can have, because it is the key to keeping the focus on the right things. A third thing that we had discussed is the role that the board plays in nonprofit organizations. It is important for the board to realize what their role is and stick to that role. Every day tasks are not part of what the board should be worried about. These are just a few of the things that we have focused on so far this semester and I am looking forward to learning many more things about the nonprofit world.

History The history of women’s rights dates back to as far as the mid 1800’s. The first major women’s movement happened in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York. This movement was drafted by a lady named by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Ms. Stanton and many more women did not feel appreciated by the government, education system, […]

So today I want to talk about the Women’s March on Washington and the marches round other cities of the world the day after the Inauguration of President Donald Trump. So why did they march? They marched because they are upset that thousands of Republicans are tired of the federal government using thousands of taxpayers’ dollars to fund organizations like Planned Parenthood, who performs hundreds of thousands of abortions a year. I mean, how dare we Republicans get upset that our hard earned money is being used to kill thousands of babies, right?! The Women’s Marchers demonstrated against people who actually care about other women, people who actually care about equality and the marginalized. Yes, the people marching on Washington have a right to do so, but since their group does not represent the opinions and beliefs of all women, I have issues with their so-called explanation of how they justify their beliefs. If you ask me, they are confused and wishy-washy in what and who they claim to represent. Let’s look at Planned Parenthood for instance. They claim that abortion only makes up 3% of their services. Okay, if that’s the case and they don’t believe abortion is wrong, why even bring that up? I don’t care if the percentage is 1%, because the fact is, they murdered over 300,000 babies in 2014, which is higher than the number of breast exams and cervical cancer screenings. The organization goes on to say that reproductive rights are human rights. Really? Do they really want to talk about Human Rights when they are killing unborn children? What about freedom, they ask? The same groups of women who think the government should have a hand in most everything else in our lives, like restricting the right to bear arms, restricting the freedom of free speech and restricting the freedom of religious expression, also thinks the government should not be able to have a say in protecting unborn lives. Once again, they are flip-flopping back and forth on their issues, issues that only fit in their agenda. The Declaration of Independence states we have the right to life, liberty and happiness. Those were written in that order for a reason; LIFE is more important than your HAPPINESS. Liberty and happiness could not exist without life. If these “women”, and I use that term loosely based on their actions and fashion apparel they displayed during their march, are so concerned about women’s rights, why are they supporting killing children before they are ever born, instead of letting them live to become strong, outstanding citizens that can one day bring good to the world? What if Rosa Parks’ mother had aborted her? Where would this country be? What if Mother Teresa’s mother had aborted her? Think of all the lives that would never have been touched, the people who may not have made a difference in the world and the humanitarian opportunities that would have never existed. The only good thing I can really say about this women’s march is that there was no violence. I cannot use the word respectful, because the signs that I have seen that were used and the interviews on the media did not at all demonstrate a respectful protest. Respect and peace is also found in your words and actions, which was clearly not evident throughout the march.

So why don’t we do this: for those who are mad, angry, upset, whatever you want to call it, that President Trump is indeed that, the President, let’s give him a chance. No matter what march you take, what genital costume you wear or what nasty language you use, fact is, he is still going to be the President. Unless I have missed something, since the five days he has been in office, not one woman has had a right under the Constitution taken away. Let the man do his job and IF the time comes that he makes us women resort to third world country standards of arranged marriages, child brides, non-voting American women, or whatever else he could demean us with, then that’s when we need to have a women’s up roaring movement that will move mountains. Until then, let’s support each other as women, and raise the young women we have around us to be strong women and give those unborn babies a chance for their voices to be heard one day just as you want your voice heard today.

Are single parent households the new norm? As I look around my community, it definitely seems that way. I am not sure if the single family setup is more beneficial to those parents and children, or has society forced this arrangement upon them. We can argue all day and night about how two parent families are better than single parent families or how the children two parent homes are better behaved than their single parent counterparts. But the truth is that each individual is responsible for being productive citizens regardless of their background. I am sure that having two parents in the home has it benefits and tends to make the family structure stable. Studies suggest that having both parents actively involved in a child’s life may reduce that child’s chances of not becoming delinquent or participating in risky behavior. Although these studies may be true, I am sure that each of us may know of some delinquent children that were raised in two parent homes. I cannot say that every child raised in single parent homes have terrible behavior. I grew up in a single parent home and I never let that affect my behavior. I did often wonder why my parents no longer lived together or why a vast number of other children grew up without one parent, a father in particular? I have heard of theories from professionals that ranged from the parents relationships were not stable/healthy enough to stay together in one household to it was more beneficial for those single parents to live in homes without the child’s father because the government is providing this single parent with affordable housing, welfare checks, food stamps, and other government funded benefits. The government will continue to fund the single parent with the benefits as long as the father is absent and the single mother is not working. For this reason, I can say that the government and society has made single parent homes the norm in our communities. In no way am I judging or looking down on those single or two parent families that are doing what needs to be done to survive and to take care of their children. My hat goes off to you. According to the APA (American Psychological Association, over the past 20 years single-parent families have become even more common than the so-called “nuclear family” consisting of a mother, father and children. Today we see all sorts of single parent families: headed by mothers, headed by fathers, headed by a grandparent raising their grandchildren. Life in a single parent household, though common, can be quite stressful for the adult and the children. Members may unrealistically expect that the family can function like a two-parent family, and may feel that something is wrong when it can not. The single parent may feel overwhelmed by the responsibility of juggling caring for the children, maintaining a job and keeping up with the bills and household chores. And typically, the family’s finances and resources are drastically reduced following the parents’ breakup. Single parent families deal with many other pressures and potential problem areas that the nuclear family does not have to face (APA 20170). Although a large number of people may feel that single family households are at a disadvantage for being successful and raising productive citizens, I have to attest that this is far from the truth. Many of our great leaders were brought up in single parent homes. And yes, single family homes seem to be the norm because they are the normal. These parents have been holding it down for their children and family for decades and are they are getting better at being great providers. I must share that,…. it does not matter where you come from, but it does matter where you are going.

The first subjects to come to mind for my blog post were the new executive orders signed by President Trump. The border wall and the immigration ban. Walls. Like delicate sugar plums fairies racing about, my thoughts debating each whimsical flapping wing. Each tiny fairy has thick encased by sugar- coated wings. My mind cannot stop replaying these orders and provocative changes. Walls. Have these orders provoked you in some way? How can I get my mind off all of this? What other walls can I think about? Walls made of sugar? What is a wall related subject or maybe involves some sort of possible ban? Sex.

I remember reading not that long ago about a proposal to force actors to wear condoms during the filming of pornography. Dozens of actors and actresses showed up to protest the proposal. Their argument was that it would in some way destroy the porn industry. Imagine, the vocal uproar against the usage of condoms? “Do not protect our walls”!( In unison, on colorful sharpie laden poster board protest) Are you for making sure working actors/ actresses have the proper medical documentation and go through strenuous testing for diseases? What are your thoughts? It seems dissonantly similar to our current presidential orders and series of events.

I know you are wondering how could one even compare the two subjects? Remember, that I am trying to distract myself. While also trying to come up with a unique, yet intriguing blog topic, I thought about how all proposals start with a bit of taboo. Then the opposition begins. Are you for it? Are against it with great conviction? What about the voiceless porn stars? The ones who did not show up to the government hearing on this proposal ? The ones who do not care about the business becoming lucrative? The ones who have already sacrificed their health? Possible there could have been a law put in place to protect them. Who speaks for the ones that sit in silence at home, thinking about their health. The ones who could not get off from work to come protest the proposal or support it? Are the current voluntary regulations enough to protect the industry workers? If your for- profit pornography partner is your spouse, do you think you should be required to wear a condom? So many questions arise. The pornography industry is against the AIDS Healthcare Foundation whom lead in this effort. Which side would you have leaned towards? The proposal was voted against and will be reconsidered later this year. For now, my sugar wall fairies are silently erect and infuriated. Dancing about. We are all passionate and will stand up to a fight that we feel is worth fighting for. Sugar plum fairies, their sugar walls, and all. -L.White

If there was any doubt what four years of Trump as President would be like all we need to do is look to his Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s press conference to speak on the non-issue of President Trump’s inauguration and it should be very clear. What should have been straightforward and honest was instead an unnecessary false account of an easily check able event. During the conference Spicer gave false information on the attendance numbers for the inauguration and what is most concerning is that this information can be checked so easily. What is also concerning is that this seems like such an unnecessary thing to falsify. The fact is, it really doesn’t matter how many people were in attendance, but what we can see from this is that public perception is very important to this administration. From this press conference it seems that we can expect continued misinformation designed to portray the Trump presidency as being stronger and more popular then what it really is.

While this tactic may not be totally uncommon, it should be a concern for us all that it is so common with this new administration. Trump has made an art of creating his own narrative to further his agenda through his campaign and it looks like we can expect him to continue that through his presidency. I think to some extent we all expect our government and leaders to put their spin on the information that they are giving us or even holding some information from us but for public information we should be able to expect honest reporting. The inauguration details given by Spicer on the attendance numbers were immediately challenged by the media and on social media. There were pictures from past inaugurations and public transportation numbers that disproved the Trump administration narrative. This open willingness to present false information to the American public should raise alarms with everyone despite your stance on Trump’s politics. I’m not arguing any of Trump’s political stances and am in no way supporting or challenging any of his policies but it should be apparent that this administration is openly willing to deceive.

The other big issue with this situation is what is being lied about and why. In reality the attendance of the presidential inauguration is not a big deal. The attendance will not dictate policy and it will not impact the welfare of our lives. Presenting these numbers falsely only benefits the Trump administration. From his campaign, his TV shows and now his presidency, it is obvious that Trump is driven by his image. He consistently speaks to how great he is and argues anything to the contrary. Given what we know about him and the actions of his administration in this single press conference it is clear that they are extremely concerned with the public’s perception of their popularity and they are willing to lie to control their image. What’s even more troubling here is that this seems to be obvious yet we are turning a blind eye. Trump is currently giving a masterclass on self-marketing and using his business experience to drive his agenda. He offers no apologies and very much seems to be excelling with an “any publicity is good publicity” strategy. Trump and his team strike first with their facts and figures and are able to control the message early on. After the fact, they may make an adjustment or alter the message but at that point they have already given the message that they wanted to give and spread their narrative. Once again, Trump’s political views are not my focus here but his willingness to misinform the public for the sake of his image is. Trump’s administration is willing to exaggerate and give false information for the sake of nothing more than to make people think he is more popular than he is.

The press conference for Trump’s inauguration should if nothing else be an example of what we can expect from this administration for the next four years. Given their focus on perception I believe that we all need to stay aware of that and be mindful of the messages that are being sent. Whether or not you agree with his politics, we should all expect honesty from our leaders.

Donald Trump is the new president of the United States and his first couple of weeks of office is turning into a disaster. On January 20, 2017 Trump was let into office and 10 days later he banned seven countries of different immigrants. He is saying that he is doing this to protect our borders and national security. When he was running for president, national security and strengthening America’s borders was one of his pillars he ran on. Now he is not allowing immigrants from Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Syria from entering the United States. If individuals from one of these seven countries that President Trump banned are caught traveling in the United States, they will risk being deported. According to an article from CNN (2017), titled “How the Trump administration chose the 7 countries in the immigration executive order,” President Donald Trump was attempting to properly screen immigrants from the previously mentioned countries, before they travel to the United States. Also, the executive order that President Trump issued banned both green card holders and citizens from traveling to the United States. In President Obama’s executive order he a had similar ban but he did not restrict green card holders. This is hurting the United States relations with the Muslim community with in those seven countries, and that is something that United States do not need to protect its national security. Trump hasn’t even been in office for a month and he is already starting to make outrageous and selfish decision. There are US citizens that have family members from those seven countries who are trying to travel back to United States but are not able to because of President Trump’s executive order. The fact that Donald Trump doesn’t even realize how he is only thinking for one, that’s himself. Donald Trump I would say is arrogant and thinks he knows everything but is actually hurting his own citizens. Leaving people in another country for ninety days is certainly not safe, especially if Trump plans to ban those countries from entering the United States. Anything could possibly happen to our US citizens and he is not doing anything to make sure they are safe. The bad part about this is that our people voted for Trump to become president and now they are protesting in angry mobs. Within President Trump’s term that he is planning to serve for four years, the citizens of the United States will learn from a great lesson. Donald Trump is not only affecting our citizens but he is also affecting our government. This executive order that President Trump has created is putting our troops in much greater danger, because it will cause confusion across the country. Troops could be attacked and killed by village members of other countries if the message is not clearly understood. Donald Trump is certainly making the Democrats mad with his choices but he is also putting his own group, the Republicans into awkward positions. His actions are starting to lead to him losing a relationship with both political groups, revealing that there was not much thought putting into Trumps decision. Now there are dozens of senators who are complaining that, the executive order is not going to be good for our country. Congress is saying that the White House should’ve informed them before letting things take place. The lack of communication and thought process is put President Trump into a bind. His actions are showing how he can be arrogant and excluded different branches from knowing his plans before giving them out. This is not a healthy government that we are allowing Trump to form. He is only pushing us years back with the countries that we already have relationship with. Gaining a relationship with these countries was tough and if the order goes through completely, us being able to help the seven countries will end. There has to be a stop to President Trump’s executive order to make sure our country doesn’t create bad image to other countries. Trump is going to be the reason a war starts and possible could be in our US soil. As a US citizen, we the people have to make a stand and let our voices be heard!